ShelBy williams Care and Maintenance Guide
Introduction
Shelby Williams takes great care to deliver high performance
products that will provide many years of beneficial use. All
furniture is subject to normal wear and tear and may even be
subject to intentional or unintentional abuse, all of which could
cause a product to fail and result in property damage or personal
injury. Therefore, it is very important to conduct regular care
and maintenance checks at the point of use to minimize risk and
ensure a safe operating environment for the general public.
Our products are intended for use in commercial applications
where it is good business practice, and usually a legal obligation,
for an owner, a manager, or members of staff to maintain a safe
and clean public space. This obligation includes the care and
maintenance of the building, equipment, and furniture, which
may be used by employees, and members of the public. Failure
to perform regular care and maintenance will void the
Company’s warranty.
This guide is not intended to be a comprehensive maintenance
or repair manual, nor is it intended to replace any organization’s
specific checklist, code of practice, or any building code or legal
obligation. This guide has been developed to provide some
basic principles and advice that will be useful for anyone who
is responsible in any way for the care, maintenance, and use of
furniture in a public place.
This guide is not intended to replace professional care and
maintenance procedures, or regular after sales maintenance
and cleaning services provided by experienced professionals,
which are all considered to be essential in maintaining high
performance furniture in a public place.
Products which use an electrical power source should be installed
and regularly checked for safe use by a qualified electrician. Most
jurisdictions have codes for the specification, installation, and use
of these products in a public space and the reader should seek
professional advice in these matters.
If you notice anything wrong with the furniture you are using,
or furniture available for use by the public or employees, you
should immediately bring this to the attention of appropriate
management, preferably in writing. The failure of any wear
and tear item could result in product failure and damage to
property, or injury to an employee or member of the public.
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ShelBy williams Care and Maintenance Guide
Who needs to read this guide?
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Facilities management personnel, anyone who specifies furniture
(such as an interior designer or architect), anyone who buys or
sells furniture (such as an independent sales representative or
professional furniture buyer or dealer), anyone who provides
furniture for use by members of the public or employees, and
anyone responsible for the care, cleaning and maintenance of
furniture in a public place should read this guide
Establish clear accountability and a sign off process, which
documents the successful completion of the tasks assigned
to management and staff, and records the activity, the date,
and location where these tasks were completed.
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Maintain good quality, date stamped records, and
checklists of all care, cleaning, and maintenance activity, as
this helps to avoid missing an important step and may be
vital in the event of a warranty claim or a product liability
claim.
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Immediately remove from service any item which appears
unserviceable or which may result in further damage to the
item itself or other property.
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Use only the manufacturer’s recommended parts
and equipment for repairs or maintenance, use only the
manufacturer’s recommended equipment to move furniture.
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Ensure that the product is only used for the purpose
intended and is not subject to abuse.
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Check that the furniture has been placed on a level, stable,
and smooth floor surface. On many occasions, what
appears to be a defect with the furniture is actually the result
of good quality furniture being placed on a poor quality,
uneven, or unstable floor surface. Adjustable glides may
help level the furniture in certain situations but can never
compensate for a floor, which is in bad condition.
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Many furniture surface materials such as wood and metal
finishes, veneers, laminates, wood edges, plastics, etc will
be subject to color fading and physical deterioration when
exposed to sunlight or artificial UV sources. You should not
use or store furniture in these conditions unless it has been
specified for such use.
Why should I read this guide?
This guide will help you prolong the useful life of furniture,
prevent damage to the product during normal use, identify
damage caused by wear and tear or abuse, and significantly
reduce the risk of product failure, and possible injury, to yourself
and others.
How do I ensure good furniture
care & maintenance?
There are a few basic principles, which will help ensure excellent
service from furniture designed for use in a commercial
application:
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Check the furniture upon delivery at the point of use. Make
sure that all of the parts have arrived in good condition and
the product is assembled correctly. It is wise to obtain the
assistance of a professional installation crew to help with this
task and to conduct a post delivery check shortly after the
furniture has been installed and placed in use. Immediately
report any issues that are observed from these checks and
remove from use any product that does not seem to work
properly or meet the specification for that product.
Establish a care and maintenance procedure, which
has daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual check
steps clearly documented for all members of staff who are
responsible for regular cleaning and maintenance. The daily
steps can be as simple as a visual check during daily cleaning.
A small maintenance item that is attended to in a timely
manner will prevent more significant damage or personal
injury, which may result if the issue is ignored.
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General cleaning tips.
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Fabrics: a professional service is highly recommended for
all fabrics since cleaning methods vary greatly depending
on the type of fabric and the surface treatment which
may have been applied to deliver performance features.
Protective coatings such as Scotchgard, Zepel, etc must be
reapplied every year to maintain protection. It is important
to note that most flame retardant treatments are salt
solutions and cleaning these treated fabrics with water or
water based foams will result in salt ringing. You should test
any proposed cleaning method on a small portion of
the fabric before proceeding with the entire installation.
Dirt and crumbs can be gently brushed or vacuumed off
the surface of the fabric. Spills should be soaked up with an
absorbent paper towel and wiped off immediately with a
cloth before the spill dries in.
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Vinyl and fused edges: wipe off all spills to prevent stains.
Use a light liquid detergent, suitable for cleaning vinyl, and
wipe the surface with a damp cloth after cleaning.
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Laminates: apply self-cleaning wax every three months.
Remove stains by wiping the surface with a damp cloth and
soap, or liquid detergent. Remove stubborn stains with a
damp paste of baking soda, which you should leave on the
stain for a few minutes and then blot away. Always refer to
the manufacturer’s guidelines for cleaning their products.
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Plastic shells: clean with warm water and a light household
detergent, use a soft brush for stubborn stains.
There are many excellent cleaning products, including some
very effective natural and environmentally friendly products,
available today, but due to the multiplicity of materials used in
furniture manufacturing it is wise to seek the manufacturer’s
advice for the specific products and materials used on your
products. If you are unsure, seek the advice of an experienced
and recommended commercial cleaning professional. You should
never allow anyone to use harsh detergents or abrasive cleaners,
or soak materials in water, this will almost always result in product
damage and may even void your warranty. Here are some tips
for specific materials commonly used in furniture manufacturing,
but you should always seek professional advice from qualified
professionals;
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Wood: use a liquid cleaner such as a wax polish combination
to clean wood finishes. Use a wax repair stick to remove
minor scratches. Wipe off any water spills immediately.
Never expose to extreme temperatures or moisture, avoid
exposing wood surfaces to bright sunlight. Coat wood with
a hard wax paste every three to four months during the first
year of use and apply less frequently after that.
Metal: remove dirt and fingerprints from plated finishes with
a non-abrasive glass cleaner or damp cloth. Apply furniture
polish once every six months to maintain the surface. Wipe
down powder coat finishes with a damp cloth and use a
light soap and water mixture for stubborn stains and grease
marks. If the finish is chipped, a touch up paint should be
used to prevent further chipping and corrosion. Remove
dirt from textured powder coat or hammer tone finishes by
brushing with a soft bristle dry brush.
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What types of maintenance issues
should I look for?
What are the issues which require
immediate repair?
All products in a commercial application should be visually
inspected daily and examined more closely every 30 days.
Remember, the longer the product has been in service, the more
likely it is to have some maintenance issue and there will be a
need for more frequent checks. Here are some typical wear and
tear items, although this is not meant to be an exhaustive list:
We highly recommend professional service for all structural
repairs or repairs which may require specialized tools,
materials, and equipment. If you have any concerns about a
product, please immediately remove it from service. Some
facilities have maintenance crews who can tackle tasks of varying
degrees of difficulty and here are some examples;
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Protruding nails, screws, and fasteners should be removed
or replaced and wood splinters should be cut off, sanded
smooth, and refinished to avoid tears and lacerations
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Locking pins, screws, bolts, and fasteners should be
periodically tightened, taking care not to over tighten or strip
out the threads.
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Lubricate all swivels and mechanisms; avoid putting
grease or oil on materials other than the relevant parts. Take
special care to prevent oil or grease spreading onto plastic
components, fabric, laminates, and wood materials.
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Replace missing screws, bolts, fasteners, nails, glides, and
casters to prevent instability or damage to floors.
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Repair cracked or broken welds, loose rails, stretchers,
joints, seat pads, cracked or chipped laminates, edges,
feet, etc.
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Columns must be seated properly on the hub of the base.
Loose screws and component parts
Missing hardware
Damaged, missing, or worn glides or casters
Torn, frayed, or excessively worn fabric
Splintered wood
Cracked / fatigued welds or joints
Loose or wobbly joints, legs, or columns
Cracked or chipped laminate and edges
Instability or structural failure of parts or the whole product
Unable to use for normal purposes
Failure of mechanisms and build up of waste around the
mechanism
Any product showing signs of structural failure or abuse should
be taken out of service immediately to prevent complete
failure or personal injury. Most early stage deterioration of
parts or products is apparent to users and staff, who should be
encouraged to report any item which they feel is unserviceable
or which shows signs of wear and tear or abuse, as this can be a
precursor to failure.
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Storage & moving tips
Most furniture is designed to be static and should not be
moved without proper handling equipment and adequate
numbers of experienced movers. Even furniture which is
designed to be regularly moved requires careful handling to
avoid damage. All furniture must be stored in temperature
and humidity controlled environment or there is a serious risk
of damage, which might range from wood products splintering
in very dry, low humidity climates, fabric becoming moldy, and
metal oxidizing in salty or high humidity climates. Some other
important points worth noting are;
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Never slam the top and base together on flip top tables
and do not drop, rack, or bounce on the top surfaces or
edges of tables.
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Do not stand on furniture or rock backward on chairs.
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Stacking chairs should not be dropped, slammed, or
dragged when being stacked, stored, or placed in use, this
will damage glides, backs, seats and frames, and tear fabric.
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Freestanding booths must not be dragged across the floor;
this will loosen the joints and cause instability.
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Do not drag tables across uneven or carpeted floors and do
not move or reposition by pulling or lifting on the modesty
panel.
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Tables over 30”x 60” long, or with wood edges, should be
set up and stored by two (2) or more people.
Where can I obtain additional help
and advice?
There are many excellent web sites, bookstores, college courses,
and professional service providers where you can find additional
advice and information. It is very important to note that in
situations where you are providing a service to the public
which includes the provision of furniture, there is no substitute
for seeking professional advice with regard to the purchase,
maintenance, and general procedures associated with furnishing
a safe and comfortable experience for all.
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